


The Science Behind It All

by afteriwake



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Teenlock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4179351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock despises school, despises his teachers and his classmates, or at least most of them. There's one teacher who is actually quite important to him. When a new student comes to class she also becomes important to him, and he realizes that, perhaps, he can muddle through the rest of his adolescence with them by his side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Science Behind It All

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Buffyslaysedward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyslaysedward/gifts).



> So I don't normally write teen!lock fic for anything outside of my “All Of Time And Space” Wholock series, but I've had an anonymous prompt sitting in my Tumblr inbox for ages ( _Sherlock as a teenager, in high school, speaking with his chemistry/biology teacher_ ) and I was just asked by **buffyslaysedward** if I could write some teen!lock (the prompt was _Sherlock asking Molly to a school dance in some science-y, untraditional way_ ) so I decided why not? I wasn't intending for this to be multipart but it just kind of happened that way. Whoops?

He hated being a teenager. There were his final exams to study for, the pressure his parents were putting on him to get top marks, and his general disinterest in all things related to his schooling. If he didn't know how important his A levels were for getting into a good university so that he could actually study whatever the hell he wanted he'd have dropped out years ago. It didn't help when he was a lesser genius in a family of greater geniuses who all expected him to live up to this potential they had for him. School would have been completely unbearable if it hadn't been for Mrs. McKinley. She was a battleaxe, and he was sure 99.9% of her students hated her, but on his first day in her chemistry class she'd given him a sly wink when he'd tweaked the ear of a rather obnoxious classmate of his who wanted to do some funny stuff in class and he'd found his confidante.

His parents knew he stayed late at school and they didn't care. So long as his grades were good they didn't care what he did, really. They were too busy fawning over his brother Mycroft and his position in the government and how much prestige that brought to the Holmes name. He usually rolled his eyes and went off to sulk in another room when he came over, grabbing one of the chemistry books Mrs. McKinley had loaned him and poring over it to decide what experiments to do in his time with her after class. He suffered through the required teachings during his lessons to get to the more interesting things when class was out. As it stood now, there was five minutes left in class when the door opened and the headmaster stepped inside, motioning for Mrs. McKinley to step outside with him. She did, and three minutes before the bell was to ring she came back in. “It's a bit late in he class, but tomorrow we'll have a new student. This is Molly Hooper,” she said to the class. Sherlock looked the girl up and down briefly and then turned back to his books. He only looked up again when she sat in the empty seat next to him.

“Hello,” she said, looking down slightly. He shrugged, turning back to his book. He didn't have friends, he didn't need friends. She leaned over slightly. “That's got some fascinating experiments. My favorite is the one with the grape and the microwave.”

He looked up slowly again. “I haven't gotten to that one,” he said.

“It's a bit geared towards younger children, but it's interesting,” she said with a smile. “I like biology a lot more, but chemistry is fun, too.” He started to reply but the bell rang and it was time to leave. She got out of her chair and gave him a slight wave before heading towards the door.

He sat in his chair and looked at it before gathering his things to take to Mrs. McKinley's desk. She was waiting for him. “You're going to be nice to Molly, aren't you, Sherlock?” she asked after the last student had left the room.

“I suppose if I have to be,” he said with a sigh.

“She's the daughter of a dear friend of mine,” Mrs. McKinley said. “Molly's father died a few weeks back, and they weren't able to keep their home. She moved here to be closer to her family. It's got to be hard on Molly, to be moving halfway through the school year. She could do with some friends.” Then she gave Sherlock her full attention. “Is there anything that interested you that you'd like to do this week?”

“Molly said something about a grape and a microwave when she saw what I was reading,” he said.

“Ah, the plasma experiment,” Mrs. McKinley said with a smile. “We can do that tomorrow. I'll make sure I have grapes and we have access to the microwave in the canteen. And perhaps it would be all right if I invited Molly as well?”

Sherlock shrugged. “I suppose that would be fine,” he said. “As long as she doesn't interfere.”

“She won't. She's got an interest in science and if she picked out that experiment as one that interested her I'm sure she'll be fascinated and won't do anything to interfere.” Mrs. McKinley reached into her desk and pulled out another book. “I suppose you're almost done with that book?”

He nodded. “I only have about fifty more pages left.”

“Then take this one. I think you'll enjoy it.” She passed the book to him and he looked at it.  was the title, and he looked at the cover before opening it and flipping through it. It looked a bit more advanced than some of the other things she had given him, and then he looked up at her. “I thought it might be time for you to try university level chemistry.”

He gave her a faint smile and then closed the book. “Thank you,” he said with a nod. “I'll start reading it as soon as I finish the other book.”

“Good,” she said. She paused for a moment. “Sherlock, are you having troubles with other teachers?”

His good mood dimmed. “Mr. Thompson is threatening to go to the headmaster if I don't stop sassing him. But I'm not sassing him. He simply isn't a good teacher and I'm informing him of that.”

“Mr. Thompson is a prat,” Mrs. McKinley said, sniffing slightly. “I'll see what I can do to smooth it over.”

“Thank you,” Sherlock said with a nod.

“Just try to hold your tongue, if you can,” she said. “It would be a shame if you get kicked out and I lose my brightest student.” She gave him a warm smile and then patted his hand. “Enjoy your afternoon, and I'll have the experiment ready for the both of you tomorrow.”

He nodded and then put the book in his bag before turning away from Mrs. McKinley. He was glad there was at least one person in his world who appreciated his intellect but didn't put any pressure on him. His mother and father may have meant well, but the two of them wanted him to excel in his academics the way his brother had, and the pressure was intense. The times he spent with Mrs. McKinley were a balm to the stress he felt at home. It would indeed be a shame if he lost it. He stopped at the door and then turned to her. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

She gave him a small wave and then he left. He lived close by and so he could walk back home with ease. But today he was going to make a pit stop. He had just made his way to the gate enclosing the school when he slowed down, spotting Molly standing there, looking around. She was biting her lip slightly but she looked up at Sherlock and gave him a grin. “Hi.”

“Hello,” he said. “Molly, right?”

She nodded. “I didn't get your name.”

“Sherlock,” he said. “Sherlock Holmes.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Sherlock,” she said, offering him her hand. He looked at it for a moment, and then shook it quickly. She dropped her hand and then looked around. “My mum was supposed to meet me but she's late.”

“Ah,” he said, not sure what else to say.

She looked around. “You don't have a lot of friends, do you?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “I have no friends. It's better that way. Caring is a disadvantage, or at least that's what my brother says.”

“Well, your brother's a prat,” Molly said with a shrug.

“I won't disagree with that,” Sherlock said. “He's one of the biggest prats I know.”

“Is he older?” she asked. He nodded. “That explains it. I mean, I don't have any siblings, but it's what I always assumed.”

“I suppose.” Sherlock looked around. “Mrs. McKinley is offering to do the grape plasma experiment tomorrow. She thought you might like to watch it with us.”

“I would,” she said with a wide smile. “It's a fun experiment.”

“Then tomorrow, after Mrs. McKinley's class, we'll stay and do the experiment. But don't interfere.”

Molly chuckled slightly. “I won't.” She looked over his shoulder and then back at him. “My mum's here. Tomorrow, then, all right?”

He nodded. “Tomorrow then.” Molly moved around him and then gave him a wave, and he watched her go out to a car and get in. He stared for a moment. Had he just made a friend? He thought he had just made a friend, or at least a possible acquaintance. Maybe that would be a good thing, maybe it wouldn't. He'd just have to wait and see, he thought to himself as he adjusted his bag and started to make his way home.


End file.
